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Big Bear Cabin is located within 5 minutes of the Orchard at Altapass, 10 minutes of the areas best gem mining, 15 minutes of the nationally acclaimed Penland School of Crafts, 10 minutes of the beautiful Linville Falls Recreation Area, 25 minutes of Mount Mitchell, 45 minutes of the ski slopes, 20 minutes of Grandfather Mountain and 10 minutes of Linville Caverns.
 

The Orchard at Altapass
For those looking for “family fun by the bushels” look no further than the 100 year old North Carolina Apple Orchard located right off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Spruce Pine NC. Only 1 mile from Bear Den Campground and the Big Bear Cabin, why not walk from the best Blue Ridge Parkway Lodging and Blue Ridge Parkway Camping at Bear Den to the Altapass Orchard and view the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains from one of the most scenic roads in the world!

The location of the Orchard at Altapass, along the crest of the Eastern Continental Divide, dictated its inception. First forged by the buffalo, then the Indians, Daniel Boone and the Overmountain Men who defeated the British at King’s Mountain during the Revolutionary War, the Altapass area was chosen as the site for the Clinchfield Railroad. The ridge and accompanying McKinney Gap to the east, the lowest gap through the Blue Ridge Mountains for 100 miles, was the perfect location for the railroad that would connect Spruce Pine NC to other areas of North Carolina and, more importantly, bring coal from Kentucky to the Southern Piedmont. It was known as ‘the engineering wonder of the 20th century’ and was completed in 1908 on account of the dangerous work of 4,000 immigrants. The ‘loops’ of the Clinchfield Railroad consisted of 18 tunnels, including the Blue Ridge Tunnel and the Vance Tunnel that flanked the Altapass Station, and 13 miles of track built below and beside the current orchard. Today, 30 coal trains a day still use the original Clinfield Railroad line.

The names ‘Alta,’ meaning high, and ‘pass,’ indicating McKinney Gap, joined, as the railroad did the mountains, creating the Altapass resort community that sprung from the Railroad traffic. This small town was abandoned with Clinchfield Railroad closed business on the passenger service and the highway carrying people through the Blue Ridge Mountains traversed a different gap. Nothing remains of the original Altapass community today.

The land above the Clinchfield Railroad ‘loops’ was turned into an orchard and proved to be the perfect environment for apple growing. The orchard boasts southern exposure which keeps it primarily frost-free and serves to give the apples the perfect sunshine and climate they thrive on. At its peak, the Altapass Orchard was the primary employer and economic engine of the region, shipping out 125,000 bushels of apples a year on the Clinchfield Railroad.

When the Blue Ridge Parkway carved its path along the Eastern Continental Divide, it, for the same reasons the Clinchfield Railroad did, chose the beautiful land of Altapass to traverse and split the Altapass Orchard in two. The land was advertised for sale and Kit Carson Trubey quickly bought it out of concern that the rich history, beauty and Appalachian cultural heritage that is the Altapass Orchard would be lost to development. Kit was joined by her brother Bill Carson and his wife Judy who offered to manage the orchard.

Today, the Altapass Orchard is not just a North Carolina Apple Orchard, but a North Carolina Apple Orchard that showcases and promotes a wide array of Appalachian heritage. In 2002, the Altapass Foundation, Inc was started to “preserve the history, heritage and culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains; protect the underlying orchard land with its apples, wetlands, butterflies, and other natural features; and provide education to the public about the Appalachian experience. The Orchard at Altapass is open to visitors from May 16 to October 31 offering live Appalachian bluegrass music from 12:30-4:30 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Recently, The Orchard Foundation added "front porch pickin" to the list of entertainment at the Altapass Orchard on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 1:45-3:15. Be sure to bring your dancing shoes for cloggin’, stompin’ or steppin’! Visitors can also enjoy a Storytelling Hayride at Altapass Orchard for $5 a person. The hayride is 45 minutes long and brings to life the rich history of the Orchard at Altapass and its surrounding area. Craft demonstrations, nature walks, and a Monarch butterfly conservation project are among other Things to Do on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Perhaps the favorite attraction of the Altapass Orchard is the apples! MacIntosh, Jonagold, Rome Beauty, Golden Delicious, Stayman-Winesap, Virginia Beauty, York Imperials, King Lucious, and Red Delicious are among the wide variety available at the orchard. Picking season is September through October, though visitors can enjoy the mouth-watering flavors of the orchard through The Altapass Orchard Shop which offer delicious goods from apple butter to blueberry jam to artichoke relish. Book your stay today with Bear Den Campground, the most convenient Blue Ridge Lodging, to enjoy the sites, smells, sounds, tastes and stories of Altapass Orchard!
 

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